Foot cushioning devices for use in articles of footwear



April 18, 1961 w. M. SCHOLL FOOT CUSHIONING DEVICES FOR USE IN ARTICLES OF FOOTWEAR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Jan. 7, 1959 William M. 5050/! Aprll 18, 1961 w. M. SCHOLL 2,979,835

FOOT CUSHIONING DEVICES FOR USE IN ARTICLES OF FOOTWEAR Original Filed Jan. 7, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 William M. 5060/! United States Patent FOOT CUSHIONING DEVICES FOR USE IN ARTICLES OF FOOTWEAR Original application Jan. 7, 1959, Ser. No. 785,512. Divided and this application Aug. 18, 1959, Ser. No.

6 Claims. (CI. 36-71) This invention relates to improvements in foot cushioning devices, and more particularly to a foot cushioning device comprising at least one layer of plastic foam electronically heat sealed to a layer or more than one layer of plastic film, although the invention may have other uses and purposes as will be apparent to one skilled in the art.

The instant application is a division of a William M. Scholl and Lawrence C. Pendergast application entitled Heat Sealed Article and Method of Making the Same, filed January 7, 1959, Serial No. 785,512, the division being filed in view of the fact that William M. School is the sole inventor of the articles herein described and claimed.

It has become desirable to make many articles wherein a cushioning effect is desirable by heat sealing together a sheet of chemical foam of the flexible type to a suitable cover such as a chemical film, although in some instances further laminations of either foam or film may be utilized in the completed structure, depending upon the purpose for which it is intended. Among such articles are bath mats, seat and stool cushions, and various other such appliances, and such structures have been found particularly desirable for foot cushioning devices such as insoles, longitudinal and metatarsal arch supporting structure, callus, corn and bunion alleviators, simple bandages, plasters, and the like. When articles are formed of materials of this character and utilized for foot cushioning appliances, for example, they possess many more advantages than articles heretofore made for similar purposes but of different material and with the laminations joined in a different way. For example, insoles have been heretofore made in many instances of a ice any cutting means and leaving a smooth well defined edge on the article.

This desideratum has been heretofore accomplished by the heat sealing of a sheet of vinyl foam to a sheet of 5 unsupported vinyl film. However, insofar as I am aware,

sheet of foam latex covered by a fabric to which the sheet of latex was either cemented or cured directly on the fabric. However, a chemical foam united to a chemical film by heat sealing at the bounding edges has the advantages over the other structure of being much more durable, providing better ventilation, avoiding objectionable wrinkling while in use, being readily and easily launderable and drying in an extremely short time thereafter, providing better tensile strength, better shock absorbing powers, and also providing a thin hairline or knife edge heat seal seam regardless of the number of laminations used, particularly when an electronic heat sealing press is utilized.

Articles of this character may be made on known types of electronic heat sealing presses. In the commercial manufacture of articles wherein the heat seal seam joining the laminations completely defines the contour or bounding edge of the article, it is desirable if not essential, for economical reasons, to acquire in a single operation what may be termed a heat and tear seam; Le. a heat seal seam which, while joining the laminations together in a fine line circumscribing seam, also provides a tear line permitting ready and easy stripping ot the waste material from the completed article without the need of this has never been accomplished with the use of a polyester foam of flexible character such as an isocyanate resin foam or polyurethane foam, at least insofar as anything capable of being used in commercial production is concerned, until the advent of the instant invention. And this, notwithstanding repeated previous efforts of applicant as well as repeated endeavors to ascertain information as to how to accomplish it from others. For purposes of convenience, this foam will be referred to hereinafter as polyurethane foam. It has long been desirable, particularly by applicant, to utilize polyurethane foam instead of vinyl foam because polyurethane foam has greater insulating properties, and is far more economical, economy being an essential in a highly competitive industry.

With the foregoing in mind, it is an object of the instant invention to provide a cushioning article comprising a layer or sheet of polyurethane foam electronically heat sealed to a plastic film.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a cushioning article including a layer of polyurethane foam electronically heat sealed to a vinyl film at the bounding edge of the article, the heat seal seam being a fine line seam which during the manufacture of the article also functions as a tear seam for the removal of waste material.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a foot cushioning appliance including a layer or sheet of polyurethane foam electronically heat sealed to a sheet While some of the more salient features, characteristics and advantages of the instant invention have been above pointed out, others will become apparent from the following disclosures, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 isa bottom plan view of a form of die utilizable in an electronic heat sealing press for the making of an article embodying principles of the instant invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary exploded elevational view illustrating the use of the die of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view, partly in elevation, illustrating the completion of the formation of an article utilizing the die of Figures 1 and 2;

Figure 4 is a greatly enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view through the die element itself;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary plan view of the finished article, illustrating separation of the waste material from the article;

Figure 6 is a transverse vertical sectional view, fragmentary in character, and taken substantially as indicated by the line VlVl of Figure 5; and

Figure 7 is a plan view of an article of different shape, also embodying principles of the instant invention, to illustrate that various sizes and shapes of articles may embody the invention.

As shown on the drawings:

In order to render this application more understandable, the method of heat sealing polyurethane foam to a plastic film is set forth in some detail. However, that method is more fully described and claimed in the aforeelectronically heat sealed to one or more of the other laminations, for the sake of simplicity the invention is disclosed and described in connection with Figures 1 to 6- inclusive herein in the form of a foot cushioning appliance having but a single foam and a single-fifth layer or lamination.

In that form'of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive, the method and resultant article are-related to a foot cushioning appliance in the nature of a full insole for free disposition in an article of footwear suchv as aslipper or shoe.

in order to make this particular article, a die is utilized which comprises a fabricated metallic backing plate- 1 of conductive material which carries a. die element 2 preferably of brass or equivalently highly conductive material; The'die element 2 is secured to the base plate 1 in any i smart suitable manner. This die is utilized in a known form of electronic heat sealing press.-

The press is diagrammatically illustrated particularly in- Fig. 2', and includes a vertically reciprocableplunger 3% actuated by any suitable mechanism and which carrieson its lower end ahead 4 to which the die 1-2 may be removably attached in any suitable manner. In this instance, the head 4 is provided with an internal electrical heating element 5 which may be connected by wires 6 and 7 to any convenience outlet. The energization of the heating element in the head 4 is separate and apart from the energization of the electronic or high frequency arrangement associated with the press.

The press also includes a base plate or negative electrode 8 upon which the material to be heat sealed is disposed. While the instant invention has been success-' fully made by placing the lower lamination of the resultant product directly upon the naked metallic base plate 8, it may be preferable at times to utilize a buffer in order to enhance the life of the die 1'-2. If such a- :buifer is deemed necessary, it may be in the form of a sheet 9 of a phenolic material or other dielectric insulating material. Since the present invention comprises a sheet of polyurethane foam, and this foam is likely to stick to a phenolic surface, it is preferable to use a thinner sheet 1%) on top of the main buffer sheet 9, and this thinner sheet may well be made of a plastic consisting of a tetrafluoroethylene polymer or a fluorocarbon resin, to which the'polyurethane foam will not adhere before or after the heat sealing operation is performed. 7 Now with reference to Figs. 3 and 4, particularly Fig. 4, it will be seen that the die element 2 is preferably in the form of an endless band ofstrip stock. Also prefer: ably, this die element is so shaped as to provide a straight inside wall 11, a straight outside wall 12, a substantially fiat and narrow working edge 13 of less width than the wall thickness, and a bevel 14 on the insideleading from the inner edge of the working edge 13 'to the wall 11. This die shaping has been found satisfactory for use with the instant invention. By way of example, and not by The plunger 3 is then lowered, forcing the die element 2 into contact with the superposed sheets 16 and 17 to the position seen in Fig. 3. contemporaneously with the contact of the edge 13 of the die element with the upper sheet.17, the electronic arrangement of the press is energized at a low radio frequency. This results in the provision of a satisfactory heat seal seam 18. 7

Since the die element 2 is of a configuration to define the outline of the resultant article, the heat seal seam will be continuous around the bounding edge of the article or insole 15, in the, illustrated instance. The produced insole 15, as illustrated, is for the left foot of the user and it will be understood, that an allochiral die would be. utilized to provide an insole for the right foot.

The die does not pass entirely through both the sheets 16 and 17, but fuses, those sheets together at the seam 18, and this seam also functions as a tear seam permitting the waste materialv surrounding the finished article to be readily stripped from the finished article as indicated at 19 in Figs. 5 and 6. It will be noted that after the waste material is stripped from the finished article, the heat seal seam at the bounding edge of the article is a fine line smooth and well defined seam, there being a definite curvature in the marginal portion of both sheets toward that fine line seam. It will also be noted that there is preferably no, securement. between the upper sheet and.

the lower sheet except at the heat seal seam, so that these sheets are otherwise unsecured to each other as indicated by the magnified space 20 in Fig. 6.

The exact reason why the above described method results in the desired heat and tear sealing of polyurethane foam to a thermoplastic film such as an unsupported vinyl film is. not fully realized at the present time, but it is believed that the heat in the die element 2 resulting from the heating element 5 actually does some In this instance, the foot supporting device is in the form way'of limitation, it may be mentioned that a satisfactory thickness for the die element wall, for use with a foam sheet approximately in thickness, may beapproximately 0.05", and the edge 13 may satisfactorily beapproximately of the wall thickness. The angle of the bevel 14 is not critical, and it may satisfactoriIy be-in the neighborhood of 45 in the making of an insole, generally indicated by numeral 15 in Figs. 5 and 6, a sheet 16 ofpolyurethane upon the auxiliary buffer sheet 10 as may be desired. On top of this sheet of foam, a sheet 17 of thermoplastic foam is laid directly upon the naked press base 8 or film is disposed, and this sheet'17, by way of example and not by way of limitation, may satisfactorily be unsupported vinyl film.

Before or after placing the sheets 16 and 17 in position, the temperature of the die element 2 is raised by means'of the heating element 5. This initial elevating of the temperature-of the die element is a significant factor of an apertured cushion comprising an upper thermoplastic film. 21,.an inner polyurethane foam sheet 22, andv a lower thermoplastic film 23, all three laminations being heat sealed together around the bounding edge as indicated at 24, and also heat sealed around the aperture through the pad as indicated at 25. Both these heat seal seams are of the same character as above described, and may be made in the same or single operation. Other and various shapes and sizes of products may be produced in accord with the instant invention, as will be apparent to one skilled in the art.

From the foregoing, it is apparent that I have provided an extremely durable foot supporting cushion or device utilizing polyurethane foam electronically heat sealed to a plastic film, the device possessing all of the.

advantages above outlined, and being economical both to manufacture and use.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be efiected without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the present invention.

I claim as my invention:

I. A foot cushioning appliance comprising a vinyl. film formin'g'a cover layer for disposal against the foot of the wearer, a polyurethane foam layer coextensive with said cover layer, and a fused joint at the edges of said layers composed solely of the material of the layers of said cushioning appliance whereby the layers are unattached throughout their foot supporting surfaces.

2. A foot cushioning appliance comprising a vinyl film forming a cover layer for disposal against the foot of the wearer, a polyurethane foam layer coextensive with said cover layer, a fused joint at the edges of said layers composed solely of the material of the layers of said cushioning appliance whereby the layers are unattached throughout their foot supporting surfaces, and the peripheral edge of said foam layer having a curved surface to provide a fine line junction with the cover layer.

3. A foot cushioning appliance comprising a plastic film forming a cover layer, a polyurethane foam layer coextensive with said cover layer, and a fused joint at the edges of said layers composed solely of the material of said layers whereby the layers are unattached throughout their foot supporting surfaces.

4. A foot cushioning appliance compriisng a plastic film forming a cover layer, a polyurethane foam layer coextensive with said cover layer, a fused joint at the edges of said layers composed solely of the material of said layers, said layers having an aperture therethrough,

and a similar fused joint uniting said layers and defining said aperture.

5. A foot cushioning appliance compriisng an intermediate layer of polyurethane foam, a plastic film as a cover layer on each side of said intermediate layer, all said layers being coextensive, and a fused joint at the edges of said layers composed solely of the material of the layers of said cushioning appliance.

6. A foot cushioning appliance comprising an intermediate layer of polyurethane foam, a plastic film as a cover layer on each side of said intermediate layer, all said layers being coextensive, a fushed joint at the edges of said layers composed solely of the material of the layers of said cushioning appliance, said layers having an aperture therethrough in an intermediate location, and a similar fused joint defining said aperture.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. A FOOT CUSHIONING APPLIANCE COMPRISING A VINYL FILM FORMING A COVER LAYER FOR DISPOSAL AGAINST THE FOOT OF THE WEARE, A POLYURETHANE FOAM LAYER COEXTENSIVE WITH SAID COVER LAYER, AND A FUSED JOINT AT THE EDGES OF SAID LAYER COMPOSED SOLELY OF THE MATERIAL OF THE LAYERS OF SAID CUSHIONING APPLIANCE WHEREBY THE LAYERS ARE UNATTACHED THROUGHOUT THEIR FOOT SUPPORTING SURFACES. 